Automatic sprinkler control mechanism



April 20, 1954 Q HARTLETT, 5 2,675,817

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER CONTROL MECHANISM Filed May 26, 1953 Fig.I

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AGENT: FOR Amman? Patented Apr. 20, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER CONTROL IVIECHANISM '7 Claims. 1

The present invention relates generally to water sprinklers and more particularly to an automatic control mechanism for sprinklers, or other irrigation apparatus.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a sprinkler control which is sensitive to weather conditions, with more frequent operation in dry weather and no wastage of water in wet weather, the flow of water being initiated by a float suspended in an evaporation tank, the evaporation of water from the tank causing the float to be lowered, so releasing the water valve.

Another object of this invention is to provide a completely automatic sprinkler control in which the water valve is opened by a pre-loaded spring means which is released by the float mechanism, the closing of the valve also being automatically effected.

Another object of this invention is to provide a sprinkler control in which the valve actuating spring is rewound by means of an impeller in the water stream while the sprinklers are operating, this making manual re-winding unnecessary at any time and thus providing a control which will operate indefinitely without attention.

Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic sprinkler control in which the float mechanism is locked by thermostatic means so that the flow of water to the sprinklers may be delayed until the atmospheric temperature falls to a predetermined degree, thus preventing operation during the heat of the day.

Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic sprinkler control which is adapted for fabrication from many different materials, so that the choice of material can be according to price considerations and the dictates of availability, the exact sizes and proportions being matters easily determined to suit particular conditions and needs.

Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic sprinkler control which is inexpensive and practicable to manufacture.

Finally, it is an object to provide an automatic sprinkler control of the aforementioned character which is simple, safe and convenient to install and which will give generally efficient and durable service.

With these and other objects definitely in view, this invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of elements and portions, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, particularly pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in the drawing, which forms a material part of this disclosure and wherein similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawing, and in which:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of the mechanism, portions being shown in elevation for clarity.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the float mechanism after release.

Referring now to the drawing, the device comprises, briefly, a casing ll] into which is built an evaporation tank I2, the tank containing a float l4 mounted on a rod 16. The casing in is divided into two compartments l8 and 29 by a center panel 22 which also acts as a support for the various shafts of the mechanism. The rear compartment l8 contains the valve 24 and the impeller 26, while the front compartment 20 houses the actuating spring 28, the ratchet 39, the thermostat 32 and the associated gear mechanism.

The valve 24 is secured to the rear panel 34 of the casing l0 and is attached to the inlet pipe 36. The valve comprises a body 38 in which is rotatably mounted the valve element 40, said valve element having an aperture 42. The valve element 4|] is mounted on a shaft 44 which extends from the body 33 and is journalled in the center panel 22 and the front panel 46 of the casing. A driven gear 48 is fastened to the shaft 44 adjacent the front panel 46.

The impeller 26 is located below the valve 24 and is connected thereto by a short length of pipe 50. The impeller comprises a casing 52 having an inlet 54 and an outlet 56 substantially at right angles thereto. Within the casing 52 is a rotor 58 having a plurality of vanes 60, said rotor being mounted on a shaft 62. The casing 52 is thickened at the shorter portion between the inlet and outlet, as indicated at 64, to provide a close clearance for the vanes 60. This close fit prevents the water from completely encircling the casing and thus ensures that the water will be ejected through the outlet pipe 66, with assured operation of the rotor.

The shaft 62 extends from the casing 52 and is fitted with a gear 68. Engaging the gear 68 is a further gear 10 mounted on a hollow stub shaft 12 which is journalled in the center panel 22, the gears 68 and Ill being located in the rear compartment I8. Also secured to the stub shaft 12 is one end of the torsion actuating spring 28, the other end of said spring being fastened to the center panel 22 by a pin 13. The end of the stub shaft 12 is fitted with one portion M of the ratchet which is serrated as indicated at 16.

The remaining portion 18 of the ratchet 3B is secured to a shaft 88, one end of which rotates in the hollow stub shaft 12, the other end being journalled in the front panel 45. A drive gear 82 is slidably mounted on the shaft 80 adjacent the front panel 48, said drive gear being locked against rotation relative to the shaft by a key 84. Between the ratchet portion 18 and the drive gear 32 is a compression spring 86 which serves to hold the two ratchet portions in engagement. It will be seen that the drive gear 82 engages the driven gear 38, the ratio of the gears being such that one half turn of the drive gear produces one quarter turn of the driven gear.

The rod it is vertically slidably mounted in bearings 83 on the front panel and is provided with a pair of spaced stop pins 90 and 92, which project into the front compartment 29 through slots t l and 98 respectively in the front panel. The stop pins 953 and 92 are positioned adjacent the face of the drive gear t2, said drive gear having a fixed stop 98 which is engaged by the upper stop pin 55s as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The casing it is enclosed by side panels I00, a top panel Hi2 and a bottom panel N34 to exclude soil or other foreign matter from the mechanism. The bottom panel ltd is spaced slightly from the lower end of the casing, the front edge thereof resting on the evaporation tank l2. This evaporation tank comprises a base plate i535, a back plate 538 and a front plate llil, the side panels Hid of the casing being extended to constitute the sides of said tank. The evaporation tank contains a quantity of water H2 in which the float l l is supported, the front plate I98 having an overflow outlet lid to limit the level of the water.

Extending from the impeller casing 52 is a filler pipe Ht which leads to the evaporation tank 12. The end of the filler pipe is fitted with an adjustable nozzle H8 so that the flow of water therefrom may be controlled to provide a drip feed into the tank.

The thermostat 32 is of the direct expansion type having a plunger 520 which is provided with a tapered end H2. The plunger I29 projects through an opening I24 in the front panel 46 and engages a notch H6 in the rod iii.

In order to increase the amount of sunlight striking the water in the evaporating tank l2, and thus increasing the evaporation in hot weather, the tank is provided with mirrors or polished reflectors I28 which are secured to the ends thereof.

The operation of the device is as follows. The inlet pipe 36 is connected to a supply of pressurized water, such as a household supply, so that water enters as far as the valve 28, the device being located in the open, preferably where sunlight may reach the evaporation tank [2. The water in the tank will thus be gradually evaporated by the heat of the sun. As the water evaporates, the float M will be lowered so that the stop pin 90 disengages from the stop Q8. The actuating spring 28, which is pretensioned, then causes the drive gear 82 to rotate until the stop 98 strikes the sto in 92 which has now moved downwardly into the required position as shown in Fig. 4.

The drive gear 82 having completed one half turn, the driven gear 43 is thus rotated one quarter turn, which rotates the valve element 30 and brings the aperture 42 into register with the inlet pipe 36 and the pipe 58. Thus Water is allowed to flow through the impeller 26 to the outlet pipe 6%, said outlet pipe being connected to the various sprinklers in the system, it being thought unnecessary to illustrate such sprinklers in the drawing.

The flow of water through the impeller 26, of course, causes rotation of the rotor 58 which drives the reduction gears 58 and Hi. The consequent rotation of the stub shaft 12 rewinds the actuating spring 28, the ratchet 30 allowing this without affecting the position of the drive gear 82. As the water is flowing to the sprinklers, a small amount will be bypassed through the filler pipe Ht, the rate of flow being regulated by the adjustable nozzle H8. The drip feed from the filler pipe is adjusted so that the evaporation tank is refilled in the required period of operation of the sprinklers.

As the evaporation tank I2 is refilled to the level of the overflow outlet lit, the float I4 is once more raised so that the stop pin 92 disengages from the stop 533. The drive gear 82 is thus allowed to rotate until the sto 98 strikes the stop pin til, which has now moved back into the upper position as shown in Fig. 2. The rotation of the drive gear 32 causes the valve 24 to be closed once more, so shutting off the flow of water and completing one cycle of the mechanism.

The thermostat 32 provides an additional means of controlling the operation of the sprinklers. ft is well known that irrigation or sprinkling is more efficient when carried out at relatively cooler periods of the day, the excessive heat during the middle of the day tending to evaporate much of the water before the soil is saturated. The thermostat is pre-set to actuate at a relatively cool temperature, the action of the thermostat causing the plunger I26 to be retracted slightly. In this way, the float M is prevented from dropping by the plunger I20, which is engaged in the notch i26 of the rod 16, although the water may already be evaporated from the tank 52. The gear mechanism is thus locked until the temperature falls to a predetermined degree, at which time the thermostat is actuated, allowing the water to flow to the sprinklers.

The operation of this invention will be clearly comprehended from a consideration of the foregoing description of the mechanical details thereof, taken in connection with the drawing and the above recited objects. It will be obvious that all said objects are amply achieved by this invention.

Further description would appear to be unnecessary.

It is understood that minor variation from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawing are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

For example, the above disclosed invention can be used to control sub-soil irrigation systems, or the like.

I claim:

1. An automatic sprinkler control comprising a rotary valve having a stem and a driven gear thereon, said valve having an inlet connected to a source of liquid, and an outlet, a drive gear operatively engaging'said driven gear, a spring connccted to said drive gear, an impeller communieating with said outlet, gear means connecting said impeller to said spring, an evaporation tank containing a liquid, a float in said tank, locking means attached to said float and engaging said drive gear.

2. An automatic sprinkler control comprising a rotary valve having a stem and a driven gear thereon, said valve having'an inlet connected to a source of liquid, and an outlet, a drive gear operatively engaging said driven gear, a spring, ratchet means connecting said spring to said drive gear, an impeller communicating with said outlet, gear means connecting said impeller to said spring, an evaporation tank containing a liquid, a float in said tank, locking means attached to said float and engaging said drive gear.

3. An automatic sprinkler control comprising a rotary valve having a stem and a driven gear thereon, said valve having an inlet connected to a source of liquid, and an outlet, a drive gear operatively engaging said driven gear, a spring, ratchet means connecting said spring to said drive gear, an impeller communicating with said outlet, gear means connecting said impeller to said spring, an evaporation tank containing a liquid, 2. float in said tank, a rod attached to said float, said rod having a pair-of protruding stop pins, a fixed stop on said drive gear, said stop pins selectively engaging said fixed stop.

4. An automatic sprinkler control comprising a rotary valve having a stem and a driven gear thereon, said valve having an inlet connected to a source of liquid, and an outlet, a drive gear operatively engaging said driven gear, a spring, ratchet means connecting said spring to said 6 a drive gear, an impeller communicating with said outlet, gear means connecting said impeller to said spring, an evaporation tank containing a liquid, a float in said tank, a rod attached to said float, said rod having a pair of protruding stop pins, a fixed stop on said drive gear, said stop pins selectively engaging said fixed stop, a refill pipe connecting said tank to the source of liquid, and means for controlling the flow of liquid from said refill pipe.

5. An automatic sprinkler control comprising a casing, a valve connected to a source of liquid and having an outlet, spring actuated gear mechanism in said casing and operatively connected to said valve, an evaporation tank in the lower portion of said casing, a float in said tank, a red attached to said float, said rod being vertically slidably mounted on said casing, slots in said casing, said rod having spaced stop pins, said stop pins protruding through said slots and engaging said gear mechanism.

6. An automatic sprinkler control according to claim 3, wherein said rod is provided with a notch, a thermostat having a retractable plunger, said plunger engaging said notch.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 and including reflectors mounted on said tank to accelerate evaporation of water from said tank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,522,327 Ridenour Jan. 6, 1925 1,992,877 Monthan Feb. 26, 1935 2,004,194 Lacy-Mulhall June 11, 1935 

